3 Essential Traits To Be A Good A Leader

Let’s face it if you want to move forward with your team, business, or passion you are going to have to lead.

Leadership could be as simple as just putting one foot in front of the other or as complex as merging massive corporations.

So what makes a good leader?

That is not an easy question and as a matter of fact, there are several traits that define a good leader. We’ve narrowed down 25 traits that we feel can develop one into a great leader and you can read them here.

But, we felt these three traits are absolutely essential:

Vision

Having vision doesn’t mean having a clear view of the future. It means having a distinct view of what you want the future to be including a way to get there.

Vision is essential for leadership because it draws many other aspects of leadership together. But vision is nothing if it’s not backed up by passion and communicated clearly. It’s not enough to have a picture of the future if you’re not actively working to make it there.

Honesty

Whether you believe in relationship leadership or task-based leadership, honesty is the key to your ability to get things done. Without honesty, your leadership lacks consistency and creates confusion. Dishonesty isn’t just a boon to productivity, it damages relationships, hurts confidence, and decimates transparency.

Imagine working for someone who lied about the value of your ideas. What if they used lies to manipulate you into performing a task? Sure, you’d likely work harder to get things done. But your engagement is likely to be low and you’d probably start looking for a new job quickly.

Remember, valuable people who know their own worth won’t hesitate to look for work elsewhere. Because people don’t quit their jobs – they quit their bosses.

Courage

Courage gives you the firepower to be a leader and without courage, it can feel impossible to embody any of the other leadership traits. Having an open-mind, being generous, being humble, and taking creative risks all take courage.

Conclusion

There are several traits that make a good leader but, one that has direction, the courage to implement that direction and has the honesty to work through the trials has a great chance at coming out on top.